By now, the secret is well and truly out: IKEA is re-releasing a collection of furniture from their archives, spanning from the 1960s to the 1990s. Brace yourselves — this is the best of the best, done better.
Avid fans of the Swedish furniture company may already know that this is not the first time the brand has reimagined looks of the past. In fact, their Nytillverkad collection is dedicated to bringing back fawned-after favorites. And the sixth edition, available in store and online in February, includes soon-to-be collectible pieces you won't want to miss — namely, the colorful BYAKORRE shelf unit (formerly named GUIDE), designed by Niels Gammelgaard back in 1985, which I'm predicting will be one of the first items to sell out.
"We have pulled inspiration from four decades, reimagining the pieces to feel fresh and new," says Karin Gustavsson, creative lead behind the Nytillverkad collection. "You will find a palette of bold colors, as well as softer, curvier accent pieces, and playful prints to make every day that little bit more joyful.”
Modern retro décor is certainly the mood of the moment in interior design, and there is no better inspiration than looking to furniture favorites of the past. Here's what you need to know come February 1st.
Explaining the original design of the shelves, Karin says, "Designer Niels Gammelgaard was assigned to complement his popular MOMENT steel mesh sofa with a matching bookshelf. He started by creating metal ladders similar to the legs of the MOMENT sofa. And when producing the shelves, he discovered he could get them in different colors without any extra costs. The result is this characteristic shelving unit in six colors, now called BYAKORRE."
The reversible shelves are white on one side and anthracite gray on the other, with the shelf edges coming in different colors (blue, green, yellow, and red) or plain white. So if you are prone to switching your interior moods, this piece allows you to customize your look with either a bold pop of color or something more subtle.
And anyone looking to score a new reading chair is in luck, the release also features a large collection of iconic designs, including four new stand alone styles — the perfect styling complement to your new shelves, if you ask me.
Although the iconic shelves are already an undeniable favorite amongst vintage furniture collectors, there is plenty of other pieces in the collection to look out for. My favorite? It is a draw between the plush, bright orange accent chairs (shown below) and the incredible denim fold-out sofa seat, first introduced to the IKEA catalog in 1978 as COX — I caught our interiors editor Emma Breislin hyperventilating over this one.
While denim may not be what you had in mind when it comes to couch materials, I think it will no doubt be softer than expected, and it's customizable modular form (it even transforms into a sleeper sofa) is hard to argue with. (You can see it at the back in the image below).
No matter how many interior design trends bring styles of the past back into the spotlight, nothing is better than getting to shop revamped achieves. And considering this is their sixth collection, it's worth taking a look back to the fifth Nytillverkad collection release to get an idea of what to expect.
Join me as we all say, "Thank you, IKEA."
Can't Make it to IKEA? Shop Similar Styles
Price: £148.75, Was: £192.79
This curved wall shelf may be a bit more organically shaped than the IKEA model, but it totally brings the retro aesthetic. Plus, it stands as an art piece in itself. The fun of a unique piece like this is you have the room to decorate the piece with larger vases and lamps because of the size of the gaps. Your living room shelf styling can be both fun and practical!
Price: £72
This two-toned vase from Anthropologie combines the look of the orange and yellow bubble vases in the IKEA collection. The shape is organic, while the colors are in a primary palette that borders neon — a great piece for trying the strategic neon trend. I like to think of it as a touch of playful retro that still feels super stylish.
Price: £128, Was: £160
Though this woven cord chair is technically categorized as a garden chair, I can easily imagine it in any cool living room. The best accent chairs are always the ones that add a little visual spice. The woven cord material will make the seat more comfortable than a completely metal chair would — through a throw pillow on and you'll wonder why you didn't have this in your home sooner.
